By Aaron Fiedler, Arts & Science Council

February was a busy month for the Arts & Science Council (ASC) as we kicked off our 2011 Annual Fund Drive and brightened up Charlotte with two more Random Acts of Culture (RAC).  Opera Carolina was in top form on Saturday, February 12 as it wowed the crowds at the Belk department store at Southpark Mall. Shortly after noon, the singers got into place throughout the second and third levels of the store. With the flip of a switch, the music was piped through the cosmetics area and a singer emerged from the crowds and began her aria. Shoppers stopped, stared, laughed and looked puzzled as they were entertained and dazzled by the striking performance. When one singer finished another emerged to take his or her place from various parts of the cosmetics area. After each of the five performances dozens of people came up to the singers and thanked them, shook their hands – one was even in tears. This marked the second Random Act of Culture at the highly trafficked flagship Belk store – and as with the first time, was a rousing success.

On February 24, ASC followed up the Belk and Opera Carolina Random Act of Culture with one featuring the North Carolina Dance Theatre at Wachovia/Wells Fargo’s 2.1 million square foot Customer Information Center. Two dancers dressed as employees of the CIC stopped in passageways and the cafeteria to delight workers with a contemporary ballet. The dance was met with applause and a few questioning looks. It undoubtedly brought a little unexpected culture into an ordinary day.

As always ASC has exciting RACs coming down the pipeline and we look forward to telling you about them next month!

Why Does Knight Foundation Fund Random Acts of Culture™? Knight Foundation, like its founders Jack and Jim Knight, focuses on promoting informed and engaged communities. To that end, we strongly believe in the potential of the arts to engage residents, and bring a community together. Hearing Handel, or seeing the tango in an unexpected place provides a deeply felt reminder of how the classics can enrich our lives. As you’ll see in our videos, the performances make people smile, dance, grab their cameras – even cry with joy. For those brief moments, people going along in their everyday lives are part of a shared, communal experience that makes their community a more vibrant place to live. In these days of shrinking audiences, we also hope that these random acts will encourage people to attend traditional performances. We can’t promise it. But it’s hard to watch what unfolds during a Random Act of Culture, and not be inspired to see and hear more